Im through with hunting...
 

...til I can figure out how to be warm. I wentyesterday morning and it was only 20 degrees or so, and I wasnt out there 30 minutes before I started to get cold. By the time my cousin came to pick up, I was shivering. I had hung my bow up after only an hour in the stand. I was wearing a base layer of thremal underwear, with coveralls over them, and boots with some thinsulate(not sure how many grams), but by the time I left the stand my toes were so cold its not even funny. So unless I figure out how to stay warm, Im sticking to early season hunting and then indoor spots during the cold weather. Theres nothing I hate more than being cold. Id rather sit in 100 degree heat than be cold.

How do you guys in Canada or in the UP of Michigan or places like that where it gets REALLY cold stay warm and still be able to shoot a bow?

RE: Im through with hunting...
 

Use heater packs

RE: Im through with hunting...
 

Dont wear all that stuff on your walk into your stand. carry alot of your clothes in with you. Use your truck/car heater only enough to keep the windows clear and take the chill off. If you get used to it being 90 degrees in the car, then go outside, it will make you cold. If you feel yourself beginning to get cold, flex muscles - this generates heat. Anduse heater packs.

RE: Im through with hunting...
 

Let's start with your feet first - what kind of socks are you wearing? White cotton socks are about the worst thing in the world that you can wear during cold weather hunts. Your feet will sweat, the socks with suck up all the moisture, then get cold, and your hunt is miserable. You need to have a good pair of socks that will wick moisture away from your feet and keep you warm. Personally I wear a heavy set of wool socks and I have a set of rubber boots w/800 grams of Thinsulate and I've been pretty warm the past few hunts in the cold weather.

As for keeping the rest of you warm - layer, layer, layer! The same thing holds true for your body as it does your feet. If you're starting off with a cotton t-shirt or cotton underwear you're doomed from the get-go. Walking into your stand will generate a lot of sweat that is soaked up and held by the cotton and the next thing you know you're frigid. I've been wearing my Scent Lok BaseSlayers and that stuff has worked out great for me, although something like UnderArmour or another moisture-wicking base layer will work great as well. After that, still try to avoid cotton and start layering. Personally I wear my BaseSlayers, a fleece pullover, fleec sweatshirt, fleece vest, and then my wind-blocking uninsulated fleece coat. I've been toasty warm the past few days with that combo. But like JoshKeller said - don't wear it all out to your stand. I lash my outer coat to my fanny pack, and leave my neck gaitor and fleece hat in my pocket until I settle into my stand. The more you swear, the colder you're going to get.

Last but not least I use one of those pouches that you lash around your waist and stuff a few Hot Hands inside of it. I hang my bow on a hanger, keep my hands warm in my pouch, and wait.

My only advice to anyone buying cold weather clothing for future use is to get a set of bibs. I can't tell you how much it ticks me off when I move and my shirt(s) come up above my waistline and expose my skin. It seems like the more clothing I put on, the more it happens. Next year I'm forking out the cash for a good set of fleece insulated bibs.

RE: I'm through with hunting...
 

I don't understand how Nubo or Extreme can do it myself. I've hunted in the teens and single digits but it's tough.

If it's going down in the lower teens, I found that doubling my heavy duty thermals, one layer of gortex, another of cottonand then my outer coveralls works pretty good. I'm amazed how much that gortex and cotton layer helps. For my feet, I have 1000 or 1200 gram boots but still need my liners. Two layers of socks I think hurts, but a sock liner under my wool socks helps a lot. I have been known to use battery socks. They work a few hours on 2 d batteries. Gloves I hate but will dawn a heavy one on my shooting hand. I have a problem with the amount of deer I see because you have to be ready to shoot always. That requires my release hand to be exposed to the elements quite a bit.

RE: I'm through with hunting...
 

My cold weather layers are as follows. As was stated warmth is best achievedthrough layers.

First I start with a layer of X static, followed by polypropylene long johns, a fleece lined jogging suit, a thick fleece suit followed by an uninsulated scent lok gore-tex suit and ASAT. That is actually 6 layers I wear when the temps really drop.

I wear a pair of wool socks and 1000 gram rubber boots. I will put some hand warmers in there sometimes also.

I wear a pair of fleece gloves when its cold as well. I wear a fanny pack so I put my hands between my stomach and fanny pack to keep them warm. It actually works very well keeping my hands warm. They will sweat if you leave them there to long.

Best of luck in the late season.

RE: I'm through with hunting...
 

If you do it all the time, you'll find out what works and what doesn't. A good wool touk and 800-1000 grain boots are a start with a couple layers of wool socks. Make sure you don't sweat while hking to your stand either. Also, when I drive to my stand, I have my heater turned off and the window down. The first hour is usually the toughest but it takes about that long for your body to acclimate to the cold.
If thats all your dealing with is 20f temps, your dreessing totally wrong.

Bobby

RE: I'm through with hunting...
 

walmart sells toasti toes.. and they work great. Get some thick hunting gore tex clothing and you will be all set.

RE: I'm through with hunting...
 

i hear ya dairy. its why i bought the sts. i could care less about whatever else it does except it allows me to wear more layers without interfering with the string. i'm not sure if that helps an onieda shooter though. i also wear fleece, and its great as long as you've got something blocking the wind. i've got a fleece hand pouch that goes around my waist like a fanny pack,

i actually thought about inventing something while i was cold this year. my knees get cold. anyway a thick camo fleece blanket that has straps for your thighs. it would sit over your lap, extending down both sides and your front to your feet. it would have the straps that you hooked around your thighs so when you stood up it would stand up with you. it would conceal your feet and legs, help keep them warm, specially my knees, and your feet a bit, and you wouldn't have to worry about dropping it, and being fleece i think it would be quiet and not interfere with you standing. sounded good to me at the time. i might make 1. wonder if i can get thick fleece in asat.

RE: I'm through with hunting...
 

http://www.t3kwear.com/

It works in the frozen tundra of Lambeau field :D[:-][8D].

Toasty toes in the boots and handwarmers in the muff. And above all else mentally block it out. Pretend you're sitting under a palm tree in Florida.